Vehicle lifts are well known in the art for lifting a vehicle for service. Vehicles are constructed with vehicle lift points on an underbody of the vehicle. These lift points are structurally configured to support the weight of the vehicle, and should be used when lifting the vehicle to prevent damage. Due to the wide variety of vehicles with differing engine and suspension configurations, the lifting points can vary. For a vehicle lift to be acceptable for vehicle servicing, it must be configurable or adjustable to accommodate the different locations of the vehicle lift points. While many adjustable vehicle lifts are known, the adjustable portions can be heavy, can be cumbersome, can drag on the ground when the lift is in the lowest position, or can be difficult to adjust. This may discourage the operator from properly adjusting the vehicle lift to align with the lifting points.
In addition, it is desirable to lock or secure the adjustable portions of the vehicle lift once they are adjusted. The lock provides safety so that the adjustable portions don't move when the vehicle is lifted, and can secure a pre-adjusted lift in a desired configuration. Securing a lift in a pre-adjusted configuration enables the operator to perform the adjustments before the vehicle drives onto it, and maintains the adjustments as the vehicle is driven onto the lift. Many of these locks can suffer from a limited number of locking positions, have loose elements that can be lost (such as securing pins), can be difficult to use, and can require frequent manual intervention to lock and unlock (such as pin insertions and removals).
In some cases, the adjustment mechanisms and the lock mechanisms may be subjected to dirt and fluid contamination. The build up of contaminants on surfaces of a vehicle lift can decrease lift adjustment, decrease rotation of lift components, can make it difficult to lock components together, and can require frequent cleaning.
Consequently, a significant need exists for a vehicle lift that is easy to use, requires less force to adjust than is typical, can be adjusted to any point within a range of motion, automatically unlocks for adjustment, automatically locks at any desired adjustment position, and provides protection of the components.